Falling for Haruna
by dewdroptear218
Summary: We all know how Haruna fell in love for Yoh but how about Yoh? How did he fall in love with Haruna? Come and discover it in my first ever High School Debut fanfic! Canon-compliant.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first fanfic for _High School Debut_. I really wanted to write a fanfic for this series because it is the only manga that I have re-read more than one time. It is just a classic! Well I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Debut. The amazing Kazune Kawahara does.

 **Bold=dialogue from the manga**

 _italics: Yoh's thoughts_

 _I am not coaching her. Absolutely not. She is going to cry. She won't be able to handle my blunt comments._ Almost unbidden another thought came to Yohs' mind intrusive and unwelcomed. _I don't want to go through this again._

Shaking the thought off, Yohs' mind went back to _her,_ Haruna Nagashima, the cause of his current mental tirade.

It had been a regular Tuesday for Yoh. At first. However, that all changed when he glanced up for a brief moment and his eyes connected with a girl that seemed oddly familiar before she tripped and landed on her knees in the staircase landing. Without stopping to think about it, he went and collected her shoe for her. He handed it back to her and she took it with a slight dazed look in her eyes. Yoh couldn't stop feeling a deep sense of deja vu but for the life of him he couldn't place it. He turned, trying to shake that feeling off but stopped right in his tracks when the girl spoke-

" **I am a first year Haruna Nagashima. Will you coach me in how to be attractive?I want to know what guys are like I want to fall in love!"**

Yoh had never been rendered speechless in his whole life until this moment. It was not only the content of her speech that made him mute but the way she delivered it- completely honest and passionate. The spell was broken , however, when his younger sister ,Asami, insisted he coached her. Of course he refused which lead to his current predicament.

 _The girl is from another planet. She has zero fashion sense. If I did coach her, I would have to start from scratch and delete 16 years of memory in order to do so. She needs to be a blank canvas in order for me to transform-._ Yoh stopped. Was he actually _considering_ coaching her?! NONO. Yoh Komiyama is NOT going to be the coach of Haruna Nagashima. Never.

With his mind made up, Yoh decided to focus on something more important-like his homework.

Yoh's mind worked in mysterious ways. Despite his ardent declaration from last night about never becoming the coach of Haruna, his mind thought otherwise. Since meeting her yesterday, it seemed like his mind had suddenly thrown a spotlight on Haruna. When before he had never known she existed, now his mind immediately spotted her in the crowded cafeteria, sitting alone, obviously in a state of confusion. _Why did I come here?_ Yoh thought as he tried to recall the reason for coming to the cafeteria. _Oh yeah. I needed to talk to Asami._ He looked around the cafeteria again looking for Asami now but his treacherous mind again made Yoh look back to where Haruna was sitting still in her state of confusion.

Without another thought, he walked over to Haruna's table. _What am I doing?!_ To cover up his confusion over this unplanned action, he asked Haruna if she had seen Asami or not. When she answered that Asami had gone to get a drink, Yoh glanced down at the table looking at all the fashion magazines lying on the table advertising tips on how to be attractive. _Why does she want to be attractive so much?_ Yoh did not see the appeal of being attractive. He knew from first hand experience the troubles being attractive. Girls fell in love with him-no not him but his face- at first sight without knowing anything about him. They would confess to him and when he rejected them in a blunt manner, they would always cry. Guys would be jealous of him due to the girls' attention and they always isolated him. If it wasn't for Fumi and Asoka he wouldn't have any male friends at all.

Her response to his questions of why she wanted to be attractive and have a boyfriend left him in shock. Again. He had never met anyone like Haruna who was able to leave him either speechless or with few words. He had spoken bitterly to her telling her how love was not always a good thing. She ,in response, had said that she wouldn't regret love even if it hurted because she will know she gave it her best. Her eyes spoke to him. Honesty filled them as well as conviction and belief. Something in Yoh's heart began to move unbeknownst to he managed was an "I see" before he made his quick departure.


	2. Chapter 2

Haruna haunted him even at his own house. For some strange reason, Asami had become friends with Haruna. That worried Yoh since he knew how manipulative his younger sister can be sometimes. Haruna would surely be an easy target due to her naiveness.

Yoh wanted to watch tv but Asami was watching a softball match which, in itself, he found weird since Asami never seemed to be interested in sports before. He got a jolt as he recognized a younger Haruna and Asami told him she was watching Haruna's last softball match from middle school. Yoh continued watching the video alongside Asami, mesmerized by Haruna' expression as she watched her opponent slam the ball all the way to the outfield. Yoh saw as tears poured down Haruna's' face as she realized that her team had lost. Haruna's words echoed through Yoh's mind and made Yoh realized that Haruna was that type of person- a person who never gave up despite how much she hurt. _I wouldn't mind coaching her if she gives it her all like she did in softball._

"Where did Haruna go to get picked up?"

" The tiger fountain at the park of Nakadouri. It's the best pick up place of the whole city! Of course, you wouldn't know since you aren't interested in those types of places. Why do you ask?" Asami asked furrowing her eyebrows. Her _aniki_ was acting a bit strange at the moment.

"Nevermind. I am going out for a bit. Tell mom for me."

"Wait Yoh...YOH!"

There she was. What a sight to behold. _This is going to be harder than I expected._ Yoh thought as he approached Haruna. Pink dress, no sleeves which emphasized her well-earned muscles. _I told her not to wear sleeveless dresses._ A large sun hat that was currently hiding Haruna's' crying face probably due to her failure of getting picked up at the most famous pick up place in the city. Yoh felt a stab of sympathy for her but he quickly shook that feeling off as he shook most feelings that Haruna caused in him. He was not there to feel sympathy for her but to get her on the right track and make her at least normal.

He stood in front of her but she made no notice that she was aware he was there. Yoh began-

" **Too much perfume. Your clothes say you are trying too hard. Everything is excessive and it drives guys away. The overall impression is bad."**

Yoh continued looking at her. This was a test. If she continued to cry or cried more due to his blunt comments he would not coach her since he would know that she wouldn't be able to handle it. Not to his surprise, Haruna stopped crying and instead was staring at him with wonderment and attention. _She passed the test_ , Yoh thought while a short flash of relief passed through him which gave him pause. _Did I wanted her to pass? Do I want to coach her that badly?_

Leaving that thought for later examination, he focused back on her.

" **I guess I could coach you."**

Haruna's face lit up and made it seem like she had not just been crying 5 minutes earlier. Suddenly, Yoh took notice of what it would mean to be a coach. He would have to spend time with her, talk to her, go to places with her. _Not that he would min- Stop!_ Anyways, he didn't knew Haruna too well so he wouldn't know if Haruna was the type of person to fall in love easily with any guy who paid close attention to her as he would be doing from now on. _Damn what have I gotten myself into!_ Yoh turned and faced Haruna. He would have to make it clear for her from the beginning.

" **I have one condition. Don't fall in love with me no matter what. If you can promise me that, then I will coach you."**

Yoh didn't mean to sound arrogant but he just needed to make sure Haruna understood that he will not, _cannot_ , deal with love issues. Not after the beads incident.

Haruna promised that she wouldn't and then gave him a smile. The most beautiful smile he had ever seen. So honest and _good_ that he couldn't help compliment her which in turned made her turn red. Yoh couldn't help scolding her since it seemed she was on the verge of breaking the deal they had made not over a minute ago. _It's my fault I shouldn't have complimented her knowing her inexperience with these types of things,_ Yoh thought while self reprimanding.

His treacherous mind inserted a new thought that disturbed him. _That smile sure was beautiful._

First day as a coach started bad. Yoh knew Haruna was hopeless when it came to fashion but he didn't believe she could do worse than the outfit she wore yesterday. Boy was he wrong. The pink dress, the see through material- it was enough to make even a bystander embarrassed of how terrible it was but not-it seems- the person who was actually wearing it. The only redeeming feature of the outfit was Haruna's' smile which still was not enough to cover up the fiasco. He had to save her from herself.

Yoh took Haruna to his home in order for her to borrow some clothes so they could go out and start her training. While looking for some clothes that could fit Haruna, the worst happened- Haruna found that stupid beaded necklace. The necklace that he never gave to his ex-girlfriend who loved beads so much. It brought tons of hurtful memories, along with her words that accused him of bringing her down with his blunt words. Seeing it in Haruna's' hand caused him so much anger that in an impulse, he destroyed it. Haruna looked at him bewildered but he had no desire to explain his past to her. _What is in the past should stay in the past,_ Yoh thought crossly.

Unfortunately for Yoh, it seemed that his friends, Asoka and Fumi, had the urge to spill his whole past to Haruna. They, along with Asami,had come along to the shopping center with him and Haruna just for the fun of it. It wasn't until they brought up the beads incident that he decided enough was enough and he left the table. He couldn't understand how easily they blabbed to Haruna, a girl they met not even an hour earlier. _Well she is pretty easy to talk to. Friendly. Honest. Still. That does not justify their motormouths._

Yoh left. The beads incident seemed to be one hot topic today. Turmoil began in Yoh's heart as he reconsidered being Haruna's coach. Nobody aside from Asami,his parents, Fumi, and Asoka could handle his sharp personality. Why had he ever thought that Haruna could? Maybe he should give up after all before he end up hurting Haruna as well.

To Yoh's surprise, Haruna chased after him. It was clear once she did catch up to him that she had no idea what to do. Yoh use this opportunity to offer her a change of plans: have one of his friends coach him instead. Haruna told- screamed- at Yoh that only he could be her coach. Yoh was touched that she wanted him so much. As a coach of course. In order to cover the feeling up, Yoh jokingly asked Haruna

" **Even if someone comes along with a knife?"**

Haruna's response was:

" **I'll protect you."**

Yoh barked out in laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so much. _Gosh she is hilarious._

The hilarity stopped ,though, when Haruna told him with the most honest expression any human being should ever have, that his smile was nice too. Yoh had the most horrible sensation of blood rushing to his face. Yoh was not the type of person to blush but apparently Haruna had the power of bringing out his innermost expressions, even the unused ones. Laughter,blushes.

Yoh started walking away, not wanting Haruna to view his blushing face. He didn't want her to know the hold he had on him. Ever.

 ** _A/N: Chapter 2 here! Yay. BTW this work belongs to the amazing Kazune Kawahara._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

 **Enjoy!**

A few days passed and ,as much as Yoh hated to admit it, he was having fun. Reading her manga, finally throwing away her researched notes of how to be attractive that she had gathered from all the fashion magazines, screaming at her due to her use of gym wear. Yup, Yoh was having the most fun he had ever had since awhile ago. She didn't cry when he gave her advice but actually wrote it down in her notebook. She was a well-behaved pupil that still hadn't digested the material. She was a hard worker too.

The mission of today for Yoh was buying Haruna a skirt. What he believed was going to be a piece of cake was actually quite the contrary. Haruna's buff legs were not helping her at all. Yoh, personally, didn't mind but he reminded himself that it wasn't him she was trying to attract but other guys. He was just her coach. On that sad- _Sad?-_ note, there they were, Haruna nervously twitching while a frustrated but determined Yoh sat beside her. _I am going to find her that skirt._ Yoh was frustrated that he- who was supposed to be her coach- couldn't find her a single skirt.

Haruna asked him if he wanted something to drink and Yoh told her to bring him a coke. As she left, Yoh sighed. _Why can't I give her what she most wants- a skirt? Why can't I find one?_ Not finding an adequate skirt was not what had made Yoh so angsty. No, it was the feeling Yoh had that after all he was not good enough to be Haruna's coach. All the trust she placed on him was weighing him down.

Yoh looked at the clock. _Has it been 10 minutes since Haruna went to get us drinks? What is taking her so long?_ Imagining all types of scenarios where Haruna might have gotten kidnapped or deserted him after realizing what a bad coach he was, Yoh immediately stood up and hurriedly went to where the vending machine was. There, an excited Haruna slammed into him babbling excitedly about types and guys. Yoh got the gist of it after awhile and looked around for the culpri- ahem- guy.

As his eyes connected to those of the guy's Yoh had an impulse to place Haruna behind him where this guy's eyes would not be able to see her. Despite his angelic looks, Yoh knew this guy was dangerous. Yoh had met many of these types of guys in his life. Guys that fooled poor girls like Haruna with their looks in order to get what they wanted. Well, he was not going to let that happen. Not to Haruna. Not on his watch.

He dragged Haruna from that guy before she started revealing her address to him. She had already given a complete stranger her name. _Her stupidity is gonna get her killed someday._

It wasn't enough. Haruna completely refused to believe that the guy is completely dangerous. She ignored Yoh's warnings and decided to give the guy her cellphone number. This infuriated Yoh extremely. Not only did she disregarded what he said, but she trusted that guy over him. Her coach. _Whatever, I am not going to care anymore._

At night, Yoh received a text message from Haruna. From then on, more text messages appeared and ,with each text message, Yoh got more and more angry and desperate. Desperate because Haruna was describing a really sketchy situation. Coming over to the guy's house. The guy inviting other friends over so they wouldn't be "alone." She was going to get taken advantage of!

The last 2 texts stopped Yoh, causing him a different emotion. Sadness.

" **I am sorry. Thank you for looking for a skirt. I was really happy."**

 _Haruna is so naive._ Yoh gripped his cellphone. _I won't let anything happen to you Haruna. I'll protect you._

Yoh woke up early. Today was the day Haruna was going to meet up that bastard. And Yoh, but she still didn't know about it.

While running to the subway, Yoh only had one thought in mind: _Protect Haruna. Protect Haruna._ It was one o'clock exact but there was no sign of Haruna or the stupid guy anywhere. Yoh checked his messages again: _We're going to meet at one o'clock at the subway station gates._ Yoh looked over at the the gates. They weren't there. Despair began to fill Yoh. _WHERE IS SHE?_!

At the gates, he saw a small corridor to the left. He hurried through them when he heard Haruna yell:

" **Yoh isn't like that! Don't make him the same as you!"**

Yoh ran the last steps. The guy had _his_ Haruna in a deadlock and was dragging her away while calling a person to bring the car. _Oh no he didn't_ , Yoh thought as he grabbed the guy's phone from him. In the outside his face betrayed nothing but in the inside he was boiling with fury. _How dare that guy try to lay his dirty paws on my Haruna!_ That anger finally came out as he gladly shoved the guys head against the wall while politely asking to delete Haruna's number. When the guy finally did what he was told, Yoh still felt it wasn't enough. He threw the cellphone far off into the sky. _That bastard deserved more than what he got_ Yoh thought angrily as he saw the tears pooling in Haruna's relief washed through him as he realized that Haruna was okay, just scared out of her wits. Still, it didn't stopped him from scolding her for her actions. However, he immediately repented as he saw her downcast look and sad eyes. He wanted her to smile again and forget the horrible ordeal.

" **I looked for a skirt for you."** Yoh said as he threw Haruna a bag . He had continued looking for a skirt even after she exchanged emails with that guy. That was the type of person Yoh was.

Yoh smiled as he saw Haruna changed her teary face into the smile he liked so much.

 _That's my smile._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

 _Something is going on,_ Yoh thought as he saw Haruna's eyes rest on Fumi for a bit longer than was actually necessary. _Wait. Is she blushing?!_

Haruna was totally blushing. Yoh felt a sharp sting near his heart as he began to suspect the reason for Haruna's expression at the moment. _Well,whatever. I'll just keep an eye on the situation._ Yoh tuned in to Fumi and Haruna's conversation about Haruna going home alone at night. _It is pretty late. It's dangerous for any girl to go home at this hour even if she has superhuman strength._ Yoh rose from his seat,putting his cellphone in his pocket. He was getting ready to offer to take Haruna home when ,suddenly, he heard Fumi's voice say " **No. I'll take you home. You're a girl!"**

Yoh couldn't help the feeling of dismay that rose in didn't understand why on earth he would feel upset about Fumi taking Haruna home but he just knew he didn't like it. _Stop, Yoh. It's Fumi, one of your best friends and the nicest guy you have ever met in your life. He wouldn't try anything on Haruna like that douchebag._ Yoh felt relieved. He was feeling upset since he was still feeling protective of Haruna ever since her ill-encounter with the douchebag. Like a teacher protecting his favorite student. _That's it! I am her coach and she is my pupil. I need to have her best interests to heart._

Seeing Haruna's slightly blushing face, he decided that Haruna's best interest at the moment was going home with Fumi. Not him,Yoh. Yoh sent them off on their way but not before making plans to have a little _talk_ with Fumi about Haruna. After all he was her coach.

Yoh had the talk with Fumi which left Yoh shocked as all things related about Haruna usually does. Yoh had warned Fumi not to give Haruna any false hope. As her coach, he knew she had a wild imagination and was a romantic to the core. She might confuse Fumi's friendliness for something more. He had to stop Fumi before Haruna fell in too deep. However, Fumi's response to Yoh's question about whether or not he would go out with Haruna is she ever confessed to him, was not at all what Yoh expected.

" **Haruna-chan right? Totally!"**

Yoh felt like he had taken a punch to the gut. He hadn't seen that coming at all. Fumi was actually okay with dating Haruna and Haruna… well if all the signs from today were accurate, she was starting to like Fumi. Yoh's mind turned blank with the thought.

It was after school at Yoh's house. Asami had invited his friends as well as Haruna to eat the circular cake she had baked. Yoh was armwrestling Asoka when Asami entered with Haruna in tow. He saw how Haruna's face lit up when she heard Fumi's voice. It was obvious that she liked him. Her eyes were shiny and you could _literally_ see flowers blooming in the background.

Yoh felt another one of those stings near his heart but he chose to ignored it along with his though _I wish it was me.._

Haruna's newfound affection for Fumi was blatantly and painfully obvious to Yoh but not,it seems, to Fumi. _How could Fumi ignore the massive blush that erupted from Haruna's cheeks after arm-wrestling with him? Or how Haruna ran away so suspiciously? Is he dense or just plain stupid?!_

Yoh became surprised at the venom at which he thought of his best friend Fumi. It wasn't Fumi's fault that he didn't realize Haruna's feelings. People were always dense when it came about themselves.

 **.Beep.** _What's that sound? A text message?_ Yoh thought blearily as he picked up the phone and saw that it was a text message from Haruna who wanted advice on something.

 _It's probably the thing from yesterday._ Yoh glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was only 7:35. _Uhh, to early. Time to go back to sleep._ Yoh flopped back down only to be rudely awakened by the door bell ringing. _What the heck?! Is it Haruna?_

Yoh walked down in his pajamas and opened the door to find a slightly sweaty Haruna. She seemed anxious and began spouting stuff about if it was love if you wanted to see someone,or was happy when they were around.

Yoh knew where this was heading and , for one crazy instant, he wanted to deny it. He wanted to say no that it was not love. However, Yoh couldn't deny the fact that the early symptoms of love match perfectly with what Haruna was describing. He couldn't lie to her. He was her coach.

" **I guess so."**

Haruna's face expressed wonderment due to Yoh's confirmation. Yoh braced himself for the inevitable words that he knew would soon follow.

" **I think I've fallen in love."**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

" **I think I've fallen in love."**

Yoh knew it. Yoh asked Haruna,or rather stated, what he already knew.

" **It's Fumi isn't it?"**

This send Haruna into a great panic as she thought that Fumi already knew about her feelings. Yoh was quick to point out that Fumi was the densest person on the planet in a slightly bitter tone. He couldn't help it, as well as he couldn't help pointing out all of Fumi's bad points to Haruna along with Asami who had come down when she heard the doorbell ringing. Still. He couldn't deny that Fumi was a nice guy when Haruna asked Yoh tentatively if Fumi was a nice person. In that instant, Yoh realized the great faith Haruna had on him, on his advice. He couldn't misled her.

" **So what should I do?! Can I tell him my feelings already?!** Haruna exclaimed.

" **It's too soon!"** Yoh replied quickly.

It was the truth. Haruna had only met Fumi 2 or 3 times, not enough time for Fumi to have developed feelings for Haruna. In fact, now that Yoh was thinking back, it doesn't seem enough time to have Haruna develop genuine feelings of love for Fumi either. Sure, her feelings could be the start of a crush. Or her feelings could be confused for love since Fumi comforted her when she was down. Yoh was a tiny bit relief when he realized these alternatives but he also began to feel worry for Fumi since Fumi always had a hard time with selfish girls who used Fumi's kindness to their advantage. Yoh knew Haruna wasn't like that but he was still worried.

Yoh told his worries and thoughts to Haruna who became downcast. Yoh could see that this troubled Haruna and he knew what he had to do- as a coach.

Without stopping to think of the consequences of his actions, not only to him but to Haruna and Fumi as well, Yoh called Fumi in order to set up a date for him and Haruna. Yup Fumi and Haruna. After one failed attempt, where Haruna actually hanged up on Fumi, the date was finally made (albeit Yoh feeding Haruna the words for her conversation with Fumi on the phone.)

Yoh was still feeling a weight in his heart. He still didn't understand why but he knew that he was scared to find out. Which brings us to Yoh following Haruna and Fumi around on their date….

Of course it wasn't voluntarily. Haruna had begged him to come to her date with Fumi because she was too nervous to talk to him properly. This was done with Yoh hidden and sending Haruna text messages on what to say and how to act around Fumi.

Yoh followed them around the whole day, asking himself various times why exactly he would agree to this. However, looking at Haruna and Fumi smiling and laughing together made Yoh realize that Haruna and Fumi actually looked good together. They both exuded the same aura of friendliness and well being. Yoh felt a small pang in his heart. Whatever he felt, Yoh realized that this was for the best. Fumi deserved happiness, to finally have a girl that loved him unselfishly and Haruna to fell in love and have the happy romance she had always craved.

Yoh sighed. _It's for the best._

After Fumi left, Yoh approached Haruna. She looked happy and that made Yoh happy even if he was feeling other emotions as well that were in the opposite spectrum of happy. One was the strange feeling of resignation and loss which Yoh chose to ignore at the moment. Yoh told Haruna the words that will be the start of a new beginning for her. For her and Fumi.

" **You can tell him how you feel. Since it looks like you are in love for real."**

Haruna still looked a bit unconvinced but hopeful. Yoh just gave her a resigned smile after convincing her that it was love she was feeling for Fumi.

Yoh and Haruna went to Yoh's house to tell Asami about the success of today. With each step, Yoh managed to convince himself, and his heart, that it was for the best. But it sure did not feel that way.

 _Something is wrong._ Yoh thought as he saw Fumi's shoes outside his doorway. _He should have gone home after his date with Haruna. Why would he be here?!_

Haruna was acting flustered as she thought Fumi would be suspicious of them appearing together. _I wish.._ Yoh thought inardavently _._ However, he was quick to reassure her that Fumi was the densest person on the planet.

Eerie silence resounded throughout the house which was weird since, if Fumi was here, then he would probably be talking to Asami, who was here at the house alone… _Oh. Shit!_

Yoh had a sinking feeling about what was behind that silence. He had to confirm it before Haruna discovered whatever it was behind the living room door. He hurried to the door but he couldn't stop Haruna from following him and seeing what he had feared most-

Asami and Fumi making out on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

Haruna ran away after seeing that scene. Yoh couldn't help but want to hit that big idiot Fumi. And Asami! How dare she do this to Haruna when she knew, she _absolutely_ knew how Haruna felt about Fumi. After all, she was there when Haruna confessed her love for Fumi to Yoh, not even a day ago. That was really low even for Asami.

Fumi, being the dense- no, _dumb_ \- person that he was, did not understood why Haruna had run away and had preferred to chase after Asami after she dashed to her room as the drama queen she was. _I hope she feels guilty_ , _but that is probably not the case._

Yoh's evaluation was correct. Haruna came back, asking for clarification of what had happened. With all his might, Yoh wished he didn't have to say the next words but he couldn't lie to her.

" **Fumi is in Asami's room right now."**

Right after he uttered those words,the worst happened. Asami and Fumi walked out of Asami's room. Holding hands. Right in front of Haruna.

 _This is just the worst. Those stupid idiots!_

" **We've decided to go out."** Fumi said happily, blushing.

 _Correction:_ _ **that**_ _is the worst that can happen._ Yoh looked up at Haruna and saw an expression that he had never seen before which had the capacity to tie up his heart in a knot and invoke sadness within him. _Oh, Haruna..._

Her eyes were dead. Even as she was saying congratulations to Fumi in a meek voice her eyes were dead. No light shone through. Before this moment, Yoh had never known how much Haruna's eyes expressed her emotions, how they lit up when she was happy or confused or angry. Now, he wished he hadn't taken those expressions for granted. She left, with that horrible expression.

Yoh couldn't hold on to his rage. Asami was being more of a bit-h than usual, inviting Haruna to eat with them even after she must have known how much pain Haruna was in. Even worse, Asami had the damn nerve to act all lovey-dovey with Fumi right in front of Haruna. And _Fumi._ Maybe Fumi had the excuse of being dense but there was a limit to how much. Fumi told Haruna how much fun he had with her on their outing a day ago. _Way to go Fumi, rub more salt into her wounds._

This rage had to go somewhere, which it finally did. Yoh wasn't a violent person, usually,but today was an exception. He whacked Fumi on his head and yelled at Fumi, informing him how he was hurting another person without knowing it and how he was so dense As expected, Fumi did not understand,which left Yoh feeling angry and hopeless. Guilty as well.

Why was Yoh feeling guilty?

Yoh had a reason for his guilt. He recalled back to when he had discouraged Haruna from confessing to Fumi right away after she discovered her feelings. That was wise advice back then but now, Yoh couldn't stop feeling like it was his fault for the situation at hand. If Haruna had confessed to Fumi right away, Asami wouldn't have had the chance to steal Fumi away and Fumi would have accepted Haruna's feelings as he said he would. Right now, it would have been Fumi and Haruna being all lovey dovey instead of Asami and Fumi. Haruna had trusted Yoh's advice and now she had a broken heart. _I am such a bad coach._

When human beings feel guilty, they usually push their feelings of guiltiness aside and focus on being angry on the other person that is guilty as well. Yoh was not an exception. He kicked Fumi in the shin much to Fumi's confusion. _He deserves that._

Yoh really admired Haruna's strength. Despite being so hurt, she actually went to his house, to confront Asami and asked for an explanation for her actions. Yoh was worried though because he knew how hurtful Asami could be sometimes. Haruna didn't deserve it but he was powerless to stop them from talking.

15 minutes later, Yoh's intuition came through. Haruna came out of Asami's room looking beaten down. She was surprised to see Yoh waiting for her in the living room, and quickly tried to cover up her expression but Yoh had already seen it.

" **I guess I didn't understand this thing called love. Love is different from a sports match. I've learned my lesson."**

Yoh's heart ached with her words. Her sad smile made those words infinitely worse. Haruna's smile should be happy, lighting up the world not something used to hide sadness.

After Haruna left, Yoh went to confront the culprit of Haruna's sad smile. Asami was in her room, happily blasting music from her stereo, not caring of the great pain she had caused her supposed _friend_. Yoh wanted to set reason to Asami and make her regret her actions but all he got was Asami blaming him for the whole situation, telling him that he shouldn't have ignored her then. _It's not like I am feeling guilty as hell already._

He couldn't leave Haruna alone. Not now that she was experiencing her first broken heart. He knew what a broken heart felt like, and it was not pleasant at all. He called her up right after his spat with Asami and she said she was in Nobinobi park. _What is it with parks?_ Maybe it was the countless shoujo manga Haruna had forced him to read, but the park was always one of the most popular spots for the main characters in the manga. Not that he was a main character. Absolutely not.

When Yoh arrived at the park, he saw Haruna on the swing, She flashed him that sad smile that,unfortunately, was becoming more familiar to Yoh day by day.

Haruna was the best human being Yoh had ever met. Even as now she is going through a heartbreak, she remains positive. Even after she herself told him that she is incredibly hurt, she is willing to fight on.

" **I'll try harder next time so that I can be happy. So bear with me!"**

Yoh came undone. It was too hard to resist. He had to hug Haruna, the strongest, bravest woman he had ever met in his life. He wanted to make all her pain disappear because such an incredible person s as her shouldn't be made to feel that way. She shouldn't have to force herself to smile at a time like this.

" **Go ahead and cry. You're allowed to cry at times like these."**

It wasn't longer until Haruna let out a heart wrenching sob soon followed by more sobs. Yoh himself felt like crying too listening to her crying her heart out but he had to comfort her above all. Haruna was clinging to him as if he was a lifeline out in the ocean. He hugged her back tightly trying to absorb the pain she was feeling. He had made a mistake of trusting Fumi with Haruna's heart. He should have known better. With that in mind, Yoh promised Haruna something.

" **I will definitely find you a better guy than Fumi."**

 _If it's the last thing I do._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

Yoh loved the look on Asami's face. He absolutely loved it. Asami was again acting all lovey-dovey with Fumi like yesterday while stealing glances at Haruna hoping to see if the scene was affecting her. Haruna,however, gave them a big smile while starting a conversation with them about their upcoming date. Asami's expression turned disgruntled seeing a how Haruna wasn't crying or acting sad.

Yoh was proud of Haruna but he knew that one day wasn't enough to recover from a broken heart. She was probably feeling flashes of pain but was working hard to move past it. Yoh wanted to give her a helping hand so he did the only thing he could think of- invite her out to get new clothes and scope out guys. Better guys than Fumi, who would make her happy. That is what he had promise her yesterday night and he will keep that promise.

Yoh was cold. Freezing cold. He and Haruna had been sitting outside scoping out guys like he said they would. It was not turning out had rejected all the guys he had pointed out to her in seconds. It was like she wasn't even trying. It wasn't like Yoh wanted Haruna to get a boyfriend…(ahem).. so quickly after the incident with Fumi but she had to at least _try._

Anyways, Yoh was feeling cold so they went on a break to a restaurant. Now, Yoh was feeling so sleepy that he almost missed it when Haruna said in a cheerful tone-

" **I wonder which movie Assa-san and Fumi-san decided on."**

Yoh looked up. Haruna had a small smile on her face but if she remembered that small snippet of information about Fumi, then she must still be hung over him. Yoh was not one to beat around the bushes so he asked her directly. Haruna denied it with an overt happy expression on her face.

Yoh wasn't convinced since she was having a hard time picking a guy.

Haruna's cellphone rang. It was Assa. She was acting weird, telling Haruna that she had left Fumi waiting outside for her in front of the station. Haruna got flustered, since she knew that it was freezing outside and that Fumi would probably wait there until Asami came.

Haruna left Yoh in order to try to bring reason to Asami. Yoh,of course,followed after her , not wanting Haruna to get involve with Asami and Fumi's problems.

 _She still isn't over Fumi,_ Yoh mentally sighed.

At the McDonald's where Asami was, Yoh hid behind a booth close to Asami's table in order to eavesdrop into Haruna's and Asami's conversation. Haruna was pleading with Asami to go get poor Fumi who was waiting outside the McDonalds not knowing that his _girlfriend_ was inside all warm and cozy looking at him suffering. _Poor Fumi._

That ended when Fumi saw Asami through the window. He came inside and, Fumi being Fumi, believed that he had gotten the wrong meeting place. Asami cried, finally feeling some guilt for her troublesome actions.

Haruna had the perfect chance to tell Fumi about what Asami had done to him but ,Haruna being Haruna, she decided to keep quiet about it despite all the bad things Asami had done to her. In that instant, Yoh realized that Haruna was over Fumi for real. Yoh felt relieved.

Yoh slipped out of his booth and waited for Haruna outside. When she saw Yoh waiting for her, she looked surprised.

" **Looks like you are really over Fumi."**

" **Yep."**

Yoh already knew iy but he couldn't help the smile that grew in his face hearing her confirm it. Yoh rarely smiled but with Haruna it was so easy. Realizing he was smiling, he quickly turned away, not wanting Haruna to see his expression. What Yoh didn't realized was the dazed look and slight blush Haruna was sporting in her face at the moment.

The day was not over yet. Yoh and Haruna went to Yoh's house to continue with the guy scoping lesson. Yoh was desperate enough to actually have Haruna pick tv idols that were her type but there was no such luck. He tried something more realistic, like asking her if she found any boys she thought were cute in her class but she told him that she had never taken notice of them at all. A strange feeling of happiness welled up inside of Yoh but he quickly squashed it down since, as a coach, he should feel angry that his pupil was not making any progress at all.

Well, that was incorrect. Haruna had made some progress. She had gone from being a girl that would go out with anyone who liked her to a girl who understood that she should choose a guy that was able to move her heart. _She has grown up a bit._

Asoka ,who was also with them, put forth his hypothesis about Haruna's total disinterest in finding a boyfriend.

" **Maybe you've already found someone you are in interested in? And you are comparing them to him?"**

Yoh was utterly surprised. If what Asoka said was true, who was hr? He hadn't seen other boys around Haruna. Was it possible he hadn't notice it? Yoh began to feel a bit panicky even when ,in the outside, he had a calm face. _**Who was he?!**_

Yoh asked Haruna but Haruna denied it too enthusiastically.

That calmed down Yoh somewhat. Haruna was not one to lie. Especially to him.

Haruna was practicing pitching with Mami-chan for the upcoming sports festival when Yoh stopped by. She was sweating buckets but Yoh didn't mind at all. What Yoh _did_ mind,however, was when Haruna made the move of wiping her sweat with the bottom of her t-shirt. Yoh didn't want to see her stomach. Or so he told himself. He let Haruna borrow his sweatband but, as he was giving it to her, he leaned forward to inspect it since the sweatband seemed to be a little bit stretched.

Without warning, Haruna let out a shriek, scaring the living daylights out of Yoh. _What was that for? Haruna is really weird._

Later on that day, Yoh and Haruna met again. Yoh was practicing basketball. It had been a long while since he had ever played basketball but he felt good. Ever since the the beads incident, basketball has become a dark reminder for Yoh so he stopped playing it for awhile. Now,somehow, basketball didn't invoke the same feelings in Yoh anymore. _I wonder why…_

Haruna was surprisingly observant. She totally understood what him playing basketball meant.

" **Oh that's right! You used to play. But you quit because of the beads incident!"**

As soon as she uttered those words, she immediately realized the great mistake she had made. Yoh did not want to look a second more into her horrified face so he told her the truth.

" **I don't really care about that anymore. It's stupid to hold on to the past forever."**

It was the truth. Yoh didn't feel weighed down by his bad memories anymore. He was beginning to smile more and now he was finally able to play basketball. Looking at Haruna, Yoh realized that his recovery was due to her. Her actions made him smile and laugh for the most part and her don't- give- up attitude made Yoh realize that he was always running away from his memories. _I owe a lot to Haruna._

Of course, Yoh was not one to admit it to Haruna once she asked the reason why he was able to move on. Instead, Yoh flashed Haruna a mysterious smile and said

" **I dunno."**

Yoh did not understood why Haruna was acting so weird. It started when Fumi had brought up Yoh's hypothetical girlfriend. Fumi had found out that Yoh was playing basketball again and had enthusiastically told Yoh that now he could find himself a girlfriend. Haruna had frantically told Yoh that he couldn't get a girlfriend because he was coaching her. Looking at her panicked face, Yoh couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. Hope for what? Yoh simply didn't know. Or didn't want to find out.

Haruna's weirdness continued throughout the day. She asked Yoh where he had gotten his juice from and when he responded that it was from the girls in his class, Haruna's expression seem to fall. Not understanding the change in her expression, Yoh offered her the drink.

Out of the blue, Haruna asked Yoh what type of person his ex was. Surprised, Yoh told Haruna the truth: his ex was the complete opposite of her. His ex was really girly while Haruna was tomboyish. His ex was weak while Haruna was strong. His ex never made him smile as much as Haruna had. Yup,they were complete opposites.

Yoh figured that Haruna was still worried about him getting a girlfriend and not coaching her anymore. To tell the truth, coaching Haruna was fun and he didn't want to ruin that with getting a girlfriend. Besides, having a girlfriend would really put a dent on the amount of time he was able to spend with Haruna and Yoh didn't like that. He liked spending time with Haruna.

With that in mind, Yoh offered Haruna a promise.

" **I won't get a girlfriend until you get a boyfriend."**

It was the day of the sports festival. Yoh had time to kill before his basketball match so he went to see how Haruna was doing in her softball match. He saw her in the mound, pitching. She was really good and looked really cool even if Yoh had a hard time admitting it. However, after the first pitch, her pitches lost speed and became really soft. Yoh was worried that she had injured herself in her first pitch so ,after she struck out her opponent, he went to talk to her. He asked her if she was injured and she said that it wasn't that. She said that the boys didn't like it when she pitched hard.

Yoh was fuming. She wasn't properly playing because of some _guys._ He thought she was better than that. The Haruna he knew wouldn't have limit her abilities in order to please guys. She also had the nerve to bring up his ex again saying how it didn't matter since his type was completely different from her.

Yoh was too angry to understand the implications. All he knew at the moment was that Haruna was acting stupid and was not being the same Haruna who had made Yoh recover. It wasn't his Haruna so he left her,not before telling her that he hated the way she was at the moment.

After walking away a few steps, Yoh regretted immediately what he had said. It was too hurtful, his words, and he was brought back to his earlier trauma where his words had caused his former relationship to end. He didn't want his relationship to Haruna to have a similar end so he stayed put for the rest of the game, thinking of how he was going to apologize to her.

To his surprise, it seemed that Haruna had not taken offense at his words but actually thrived from it. She pitched faster than ever before,ignoring the jeers from the boys. It ended in a victory for her class 6-1.

Yoh walked towards Haruna trying to form words of apology. Yoh being Yoh was not one to just say "sorry". Instead, he bonked her on the head and then gave her permission to come watch his basketball game, which he had forbidden her to see earlier. Seeing her smile, made his heart thump as he realize that everything was once again well with Haruna.

Yoh was sweating buckets. He was in the middle of the basketball game for the Sports festival. He was amazed that he was playing great. He was making baskets,dribbling,doing great plays. He was really enjoying himself immensely despite the rivulets of sweat that were traveling across his face.

At a time out, Yoh looked at his wrist where his sweatband usually was. He then remember that he had let Haruna borrowed it. Yoh looked up at the crowd to find Haruna and he easily spotted her. He didn't know why, but it was so easy for Yoh to find her even if she was standing among a sea of faces. _It must be because she has become so familiar to me._ It was like she had always been with him.

Yoh met her eyes and signaled her to hand over his sweatband, He smiled at her and she gave him back one of her brightest, most beautiful smile. It was a moment to remember,


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

Yoh was wandering around after the basketball game he was in ended. He was feeling thirsty so he went to get a soda from the vending machine. On his way there, he saw Haruna longingly staring at a couple, who were flirting. Yoh crept closer until he noticed that the point of fascination for Haruna was not the couple but the juice that the young man was holding in his hand. _She must want the juice._

Yoh finally spoke up and was amused when Haruna jumped, crossing her arms across her forehead to prevent him from reading her thoughts. _She is so cute.._ Yoh stopped that line of thinking. When it came to Haruna, Yoh's mind always wandered to embarrassing thoughts. He kept on thinking about the curve of her smile,her eyes, her laugh. It was too much to bear for Yoh, who was usually stoic.

To control himself, Yoh decided to ask Haruna about her softball match which she informed him they were the champions. To celebrate, Yoh decided to buy himself and Haruna a well- deserved juice. On his way to the vending machine, Haruna remained strangely quiet, almost pensive. Yoh was not used to that side of Haruna and, when she continued on in her silent state, Yoh couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and asking her what she was thinking about.

Haruna pushed him. She actually pushed him aside and screamed , " **Don't read my thoughts!"** before dashing away, leaving poor Yoh both perplex and angry. He had no idea why Haruna would do that. He had seen something similar to fear in her eyes when she had pushed him and that left Yoh a little bit hurt. It wasn't like he was trying to invade her space both ethereal or mental. She was just easy to read most of the time and he was just curious to why he wasn't able to read her thoughts at that moment. Of course, Yoh wasn't a mind reader. That was ridiculous.

At lunchtime, Haruna joined them as usual. Yoh sighed in relief. It seemed like everything was back to normal.

It was, until Yoh and Haruna locked eyes for a second. Haruna was quick to blatantly turn her eyes, even her head, away from Yoh. _She's so rude_ Yoh thought as he crushed his sandwich. _Why is she being weird? She's probably hiding something from me._

" **You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"**

Yoh's suspicions were correct as Haruna's mouth dropped open and her face turned as pale as death. Then.. she ran away for the second time that day.

Yoh frowned as he stood up to follow Haruna. _I won't let her escape this time!_

Haruna was almost leaning against the vending machine, with her head almost planted on its surface. Yoh gave her no time to escape again as he demanded right there and then Haruna's reason for running away.

Haruna looked up at him pleadingly but Yoh would not budge. He would not give up until Haruna told him the truth.

At that moment, some girls from his class passed by and congratulated Yoh on his basketball match. Yoh hurriedly thanked them before turning his attention back to Haruna. To his surprise,he saw Haruna pouting, something he had never seen before. It was quite cute to Yoh but that particular response was overshadowed by his confusion. _Why is she mad?_

Yoh didn't like being kept in the dark when it came to Haruna so he just asked her. Her response? She shoved him away while telling him to not read her thoughts.

 _I will never be able to understand girls. I give up._ Yoh thought, while rubbing his head, which had smacked the vending machine when Haruna had pushed him.

Even if Yoh said he gave up, his heart had other ideas. Yoh was walking down the street after school when he saw Haruna entering a bookstore. Through the store window,he saw her pick up a manga. He stopped and stared at her hunched figure as she stared sadly into the manga, one of her favorites. Yoh knew it was her favorite manga because she had forced him to read it. The manga was okay except for the protagonist, who was a bit of a cry-baby. Yoh did not like cry babies.

Without knowing, Yoh had already entered the store. He walked over to Haruna and, fear of scaring her again, he softly alerted her of his presence. Apparently,it was not enough as Haruna scooted away from him in an instant.

Yoh felt hurt. He knew he didn't deserve Haruna's current treatment of him, but that didn't stop from hurting any less. He needed to find out what the problem was or else he will turn crazy. He then had a brilliant idea: he was going to use his trump card.

" **I'm your coach aren't I?"**

That broke a dam inside of Haruna. She began stuttering about how she really wanted to tell him but couldn't. Yoh saw her pleading eyes and heard her flustered tone and felt surge of compassion. _I shouldn't force her to tell me if she is not ready._

Yoh began to retreat, planning on leaving the situation alone, but Haruna had other plans. She began to tell him if,hypothetically, she had fallen in love with someone she wasn't allowed too what was she to do. Someone who had told her not to fall in love with him.

A small alarm rang through Yoh's head but it was promptly ignored, due to the absurdity of that, hypothetical, guy's request. _How vain can he get?_

Another part of him was seething about the idea of another guy other than him in Haruna's life. He had to remind himself that it was just a hypothetical situation in order for him to be able to answer Haruna correctly. He couldn't fail her now, especially when she was looking at him with such pleading eyes. He couldn't lie to those eyes, despite whatever he was feeling at the moment. He gave her the 2 options he could think of: give up or confess.

Her pleading eyes were no more. She processed the advice and Yoh could actually see the determination set in. _Damn, it wasn't hypothetical._

" **What are my good qualities?"** Haruna asked.

Yoh was loathe to tell her all her good qualities he had ready made a list of in his mind. Like her smile or braveness or cuteness. No, Yoh was not ready to tell her that at all so he just listed some things that were milder praises like her simple-mindedness.

Yoh became too carried away with his praises however. Without thinking, he added

" **I think that there are guys who will see that and think that you are cute and like you."** _Like me..._

Seeing Haruna's slight blush made Yoh realize that he had said something he really shouldn't have. It became worse when Haruna almost made him repeat the phrase "like you." Fortunately,for Yoh, he stopped himself in the nick of time and , now, it was his time to dash away since he felt a deep blush settling in his face. _Oh crap, I like her!_

Yoh, however, did not had the time to process his newfound feelings because Haruna suddenly handed him a pair of movie tickets and asked him to go with her to the movies. Her fingers brushed his while handing him the ticket which made Yoh make an extreme effort to not blush again. He accepted her invitation calmly, but inside he was both confused and happy. Happy because he got to spend time with the girl he li- _not going to think of it right now._ Confused because he didn't understand why Haruna invited him. _Is it to thank me for my advice? That probably is it…_

Above all the confusion and happiness, Yoh only knew one thing for sure… he couldn't wait until Sunday!

 **Hello fellow readers! I have come to inform you that this story will end in 2-3 chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

Yoh couldn't wait until Sunday. He reached his home ,after Haruna invited him out to the movies, in a slightly happy daze. Of course, on the outside, Yoh was wearing his serious, stoic expression that he always wore but , in the inside, his heart was beating fast. _I love Haruna…_

Not even the usually stoic Yoh could suppress the blush that overtook his face at the moment. He hanged his face for a moment trying to regain back his composure.

He was standing in front of his door. He needed to act like nothing major had happened. He needed to act as if he had not just readily admitted to himself that he liked Haruna, tomboyish,fashion-disaster,simple-minded,fun,awesome,cute Haruna. _Stop it Yoh_ , Yoh reprimanded himself, _you are going to make Asami find out about your feelings for Haruna._ There was no saying what his manipulative,possessive little sister would do if she found out.

It was Friday morning. Yoh couldn't sleep last night,knowing that in two days he was going to go on a dat-well not a date, with Haruna. This made Yoh remember something awful that he had forgotten in the midst of the happy fog that had envelop him since last night. He had forgotten the conversation with Haruna last night where he had given her advice about her liking an impossible guy that had told her not to fall in love with him. He remembered how she had gotten so flustered when he first told her to give up on the guy. She had looked up at him helplessly then. Her desperation had told Yoh that she wasn't making a hypothetical situation. It was real-which meant that Haruna was in love with someone else. Someone else other than him.

With that, all of Yoh's happiness whooshed out of him like a deflated balloon. Now, he was feeling sad and angry at the stupid arrogant guy Haruna had fallen for.

 _Why couldn't it be me?_ Yoh thought gloomily. Then, a perverse thought came to Yoh's mind. _Well, if that guy rejects her then everything will be alright…_

Yoh stopped in front of his lockers from school. Yoh instantly felt shame for the horrid thought. _I can't believe I am so selfish, so perverse in hoping that Haruna gets hurt again. What kind of horrible person am I?!_

Just then, Asoka approached him. Yoh tried to shake away his gloomy thoughts but they were still there. Asoka then told him that he had seen Haruna downtown yesterday and,when Yoh asked him what she was doing, Asoka refused to tell him. This made Yoh very suspicious. _There you go again Yoh, feeling jealous of any guy that talks to Haruna. It's not like she is your girlfriend or anything. You just love her._

" **I think I understand how you feel a bit."** Asoka told Yoh with a small smile on his face.

Yoh stared at his friend in shock. _Does Asoka know my feelings for Haruna?! How?! I barely admitted it to myself yesterday!_

Asoka bid Yoh goodbye and walked away. Staring at Asoka's back,another question popped out of Yoh's head-

 _What did he meant he understood what I felt?_

Sunday came. Yoh was still feeling the remnant of the happiness from Thursday night but,with it, came confusion and worry. Asoka's words haunted him as Yoh came to the conclusion that Asoka might be interested in Haruna.

 _Well, she is in love with someone else so beat that Asoka!_ Stupid Yoh realize that this applied to him as well and that made him want to curl up in a corner.

 _Well,I'll just forget it for today. I am going to spend the whole day with Haruna. Maybe I can maker her forget that crush of hers.._

Haruna was there. Yoh saw her standing in front of a shop, with her arms crossed. She looked kind of nervous, not that Yoh would know. He himself was feeling the jitters, with his heart thumping a mile a minute ,and a case of sweaty palms. _The symptoms of love are real!_

Yoh turned around for a minute, hiding behind a building. He had a strange urge to run away but he knew he wasn't going to. That is why he did the second best- burying his emotions. For the moment at least. He wasn't ready for Haruna to know yet of his feelings.

After calming himself, Yoh went to Haruna who was currently facing the shop window. Now that Yoh was over the shock of just seeing her, he took noticed of her outfit. It was nice and really made her look cute. Yoh couldn't help complimenting her,which resulted in an over-enthusiastic Haruna. That made Yoh happy but he was confused to why she was so happy about.

They arrived at the movies. As they took their seats, Yoh stiffened suddenly. _Our seats are too close!_

Not that Yoh minded it. It was just that the dim lights, the accidental brushing of their arms, made Yoh's heart beat faster. He didn't dare looked at Haruna, who was probably enjoying the movie not knowing that the person next to her was in love with her.

Thankfully, Yoh was able to get through the movie without incident. Yoh would be lying if he said it was easy. It was not. Several times throughout the movie, Yoh had to physically stop himself from trying to hold Haruna's hand or just confessing his love for her then and there. Yup, it was hard.

The effort to behave himself exhausted him so much that he asked Haruna if she wanted to go home. Haruna asked him if they could go out to eat instead. This made Yoh happy and his exhaustion left him.

They went to eat at a crowded restaurant and after Yoh suggested they go out to take a stroll in the park. The truth was that Yoh didn't want the day to end. He was happy being with Haruna even if only as just wanted to be with her.

While taking the stroll in the park where Yoh first agreed to be Haruna's coach made Yoh feel nostalgic. That was the day his fate was sealed. He wondered what past Yoh would say if he saw him now, in love with that girl who had ambushed him at school and asked him to be her coach.

Yoh knew the answer. Past Yoh would be disgusted with him. He would be disgusted that he had fallen in love with someone who trusted him to lead her on the correct path to success. He would be disgusted to know how Yoh had wished for Haruna to be rejected again and how he wished to force Haruna to like him instead. He would curse his present self's twisted heart.

Yoh knew what he had to do. He had to push Haruna away to somewhere where his twisted feelings could not reach her. Even if it would hurt him greatly in the process.

" **Hey!"** Yoh said at the same time Haruna said " **Um."**

Haruna told Yoh to go first, and Yoh did. He needed to get the words out before he changed his mind.

" **What do you think of Asoka?Asoka's a pretty nice guy too. Even if he is different from Fumi."** Yoh had done it but he still had not delivered his finishing blow, which would cut him deeply.

" **How about you go for Asoka?"**

Yoh didn't expect Haruna to suddenly throw a bag at his face. She was angry. The angriest he had ever seen her. _Why is she angry? I am the one hurting!_

" **I already like someone else! You're fired!"**

Yoh was struck speechless. Haruna ran away,crying and Yoh had absolutely no idea why. His own pain was momentarily forgotten as her words sank in. _Fired? She told me I was fired?! What the hell!_

Anger quickly filled Yoh. How dare Haruna throw a bag at him. yell at him, and,even worse, fired him! It wasn't like he was being paid or anything!

The anger felt good. It kept the hurt from his past resolution as well as the hurt caused by Haruna's actions from overwhelming him. _Fine if she is going to be like that, I won't be her coach anymore! She can't fire me because I quit!_

The next day, Yoh still felt angry. He walked to school and made the resolution to avoid Haruna. It was childish but,at the moment, Yoh did not care.

Unfortunately for Yoh, it was not to be. He and Haruna met in front of the school gates. He saw her expression change to a slightly embarrassed one and Yoh felt his heart move. He quickly squashed that feeling when he remember what she had done to him last night. He childishly turned his head away from her before he did something stupid.

This continued throughout the day. At lunchtime, he ignored her when she offered him her soy Fumi and Asoka noticed the fight between them and they asked him,when they were alone, what the matter between him and Haruna.

Yoh spilled. He was angry and he needed to tell someone about it. Unfortunately, Haruna heard when Yoh told his friends that all girls were a hassle.

She ran away and Yoh's heart broke a little. He had definitely hurt her but he was feeling too guilty to chase after her. Yoh handed Fumi the bag Haruna had thrown at him in the park yesterday and asked him to give it back to Haruna.

Yoh's guilt increased when Asoka told him that the gift bag was a gift to Yoh from Haruna. Yoh opened the gift tentatively and saw that it was a cool belt chain. It was exactly to Yoh's taste and Yoh felt the guilt wash over him again. He didn't deserve Haruna. Not after his treatment to her today.

Yoh couldn't concentrate in class. The professor's words went over him as Yoh stared at the belt chain Haruna had given him. It was such a thoughtful gift from her. He still didn't understand why she had bought him a gift but it was so Haruna. She was such a sweet gir,l he didn't deserve her. Nobody deserved her,not even the guy she was in love with.

Yoh thought back to Haruna's words when she was explaining to him about her hypothetical guy.

" _ **What happened if the person you like,is someone you are not allowed to like? For example you were told not to fall in love with him."**_

A huge alarm clanged through Yoh's head. Yoh couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu those exact words caused in him. _When have I heard them before?_

A shock went through Yoh. He couldn't move,he couldn't speak, he couldn't think. Yoh had finally discovered where he had heard those exact words. He discovered who had warned Haruna not to fall in love with him.

 _It was me. I said those exact words to Haruna when I agreed to coach her._


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello readers! This is my last chapter for Falling for Haruna. If you read this far, thanks for sticking to this story. Now on to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: High School Debut is not mine.**

 **Bold- Dialogue from series**

 _Italics-Yoh's thoughts_

To say that Yoh was out of it would be a complete understatement. The shock wore off after awhile, which left Yoh with his head resting on his desk. If only he could bang his head on the desk without his teacher and classmates thinking he had gone crazy, he would have.

 _She likes me…_

This thought brought a huge blush to Yoh's face, bigger than the time Haruna had said his smile was a killer smile, even bigger than the time Haruna had almost tricked him into saying "like you".

Now, Yoh was able to piece together all the clues. Haruna avoiding him,her being jealous of the girls in his class, her blocking her head so he wouldn't read her thoughts,her being so happy when he complimented her,her hitting him on the face with her bag when he told her to go out with Asoka.

 _I am so stupid. How could I have not noticed? I am more dense than Fumi!_

Besides the shock and embarrassment, another emotion was wriggling inside of Yoh,increasing by the second-happiness. Utter happiness. It was a good thing Yoh had his head on the desk or else his classmates would see Yoh smiling. Yes,the stoic,expressionless Yoh would be smiling, and that would have been a great shock to his classmates ,especially to the girls. The girls would have love that.

The bell rang. Yoh chanted to himself: _Calm down Yoh,calm down Yoh._

Years of experience made it possible for Yoh to replace his smiling face to the one he usually wore- disinterest. Yoh still had 2 more classes before school ended. He was feeling torn. In one hand, he wanted to run to Haruna's classroom and ask her if she really did love him and just kiss her until she admitted it. On the other hand, he wanted to run away to the safety of his bedroom and avoid her. Yoh was feeling too many confusing emotions at the moment and he wanted to sort it out before he saw Haruna again.

Fate was not in Yoh's side. After school, he spotted Haruna, who was walking clumsily. His heartbeat started to accelerate and he wanted to run away. _I am not ready for this!_ Before he could run away, he saw a girl rudely bump into Haruna and she fell into the bicycle racks, making every bicycle fall to the ground. Yoh had the urge to laugh seeing her horrified face.

 _That is so Haruna._ Yoh thought affectionately.

His amusement fell away when he saw that Haruna was still kneeling on the ground,with her head hanging down. It was quite obvious that Haruna was upset , not only because of the fallen bicycles

Yoh felt shame. He knew that Haruna was probably remembering his words from earlier, about how he thought all girls were a needed to make it up to her now that he knew that her actions from last night were probably because of how he had unknowingly pushed her feelings away.

Yoh approached her. His heart started beating fast again but he brought it under control. _This is not the time for your emotions. It's only the time to help her._

He approached the first fallen bicycle and put it upwards. He could feel Haruna' surprise from where he was standing. He waited a second more to make sure he was in control before turning to look at Haruna.

Haruna looked on the verge of tears but that didn't stop Yoh from thinking- _Has she always been this cute?_

Yoh couldn't stop the small,small blush from appearing of his face when he asked her what she was doing.

Haruna broke down. She began crying in earnest, begging Yoh for his forgiveness. Yoh's stomach was feeling queasy, seeing the girl he love ask for his forgiveness when it was he who should ask HER for her forgiveness.

" **It's okay. I am not angry."** Yoh said while lifting her up from the ground by the arm.

" **Really? You'll coach me just like before?** Haruna asked,hope slowly filling her eyes.

Yoh paused. He did not wanted to be her coach. He wanted to be more. He wanted to be her boyfriend. However,seeing her hope-filled eyes, made him reluctantly say yes.

The whole gang went to celebrate Yoh and Haruna's reconciliation. They all felt relief that their friends were getting along again. They felt such relief that they failed to notice that Yoh had his eyes fix on Haruna the whole time. When they asked Haruna who her type was, Yoh felt a jolt as his and Haruna's eyes met.

Yoh wanted to tease Haruna. He asked her why she was looking at him. At this,Haruna turned all flustered and described someone who was the exact opposite of him for her type.

Yoh wanted to laugh at his denseness. Now that he was almost 100 percent certain that Haruna liked him,he was noticing the little clues. The way she looked at him when they asked her for her type, her slight blush when their eyes met. These little clues warmed Yoh's heart greatly.

" **Yoh,I am really happy that I can be like this with you. I don't think I'll ever meet someone like you,Yoh. I'm glad I got to know you."** Haruna said to Yoh in an even, soft tone.

Yoh felt his heart squeeze. It sounded a lot like a confession but,at the same time, it sounded like resignation. It sounded like Haruna was giving up on him.

He panicked. He couldn't let Haruna give up on him, not now that he had discovered his feelings for her. Not now that he had finally forgiven himself for all his past twisted thoughts and was ready to be with her-to have a future with her.

 _I am not giving up on you,Haruna._

Yoh made an excuse to Asami about going out to buy school supplies after they left the restaurant. Yoh was feeling determined. He had decided to do everything in his power to bring him and Haruna together as a couple.

He went to the cute jewelry store that Asami had told him about before. Past Yoh wouldn't have been caught dead entering the extremely girly store but past Yoh was no more. Now,he was a fool in love. Even worse, he was a fool in love with a mission.

As he entered the store,various eyes stopped and stared. Yoh did not noticed the attention he was gathering as he scanned the jewelry display looking for a necklace. A perfect necklace for Haruna.

"May I help you?" asked the female store assistant,bashing her eyelashes at Yoh.

Yoh politely said, "No,thank you" before scanning the display again. Various necklaces of different shapes and colors begged for his attention but they were not it. None of them made him think of Haruna.

That was true, until he laid his eyes on a pink/purplish star in a circle. _This is it! This is perfect for Haruna!_

Despite it being girly, the star was perfect. Haruna was like a star that shone brightly in his life. Yoh blushed. _I am turning more corny by the second._

He went to pay for it. The cashier couldn't help but comment on Yoh's purchase.

"The necklace is super cute! Is it for your girlfriend?"

Yoh was usually not one to say what was in his mind but ,in this occasion, he was not Yoh but a fool in love.

"Hopefully." Yoh said with one of his rare smiles.

It was 8 o'clock. Yoh was staring at his cell phone, his finger on the call button, one push away from calling Haruna. Now that Yoh was so close in confessing to Haruna,he was having second thoughts. _What if she doesn't like me? What if it's all a big coincidence or what if it is all in my head? What if my mind is making me believe she loves me because I want her to love me so much? What if she rejects me? What will happen to our relationship? Will she start avoiding me?_

Yoh let his finger slid from the call button. _NO! What happens if she DOES love me? What happens if she says yes? What happens if this is the start of our relationship and I am just being too much of a coward to face it? Will I regret this moment forever, thinking of all the what ifs?_

"I love her too much. I can't let her go anymore!"

With that, Yoh ran outside, not before getting the bag where Haruna's necklace was in. Yoh was eager to see Haruna and tell her how much he loved her. How he always wanted to be on her side.

"I am coming Haruna. Wait for me."

And as you all know,dear readers, the rest was history.

 **Thank-you for reading!**

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